


will the circle be unbroken?

by cakesandpuppies (someonesaveme)



Category: BioShock Infinite, Booster Gold (Comics), Burial at Sea - Fandom, DCU (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon, Asexual Character, Crossover, Gen, She meets booster first, Tim comes into play later on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-30
Updated: 2015-07-13
Packaged: 2018-04-06 22:40:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4239342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/someonesaveme/pseuds/cakesandpuppies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A second chance. This is her second chance. Can she drop the violence and the anger  and all the hurt that's been her entire life and become a hero?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. out of the fire

**Author's Note:**

> The idea wouldn't leave and it was too good to pass up so I wrote it. Here.
> 
> Honestly, I was considering just taking the Elizabeth from Infinite and making Booster be the one to retrieve her, and I could still do that in another story, but Burial at Sea was just too poignant to be ignored. This makes the story a lot angstier but also a lot more about healing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I try to make Elizabeth sassy but also kind of proper feeling so let me know how I do.
> 
> This is immediately following Burial at Sea Episode 2. So while Elizabeth is bleeding out on the floor, after Sally sings to her.

"--not in my records--can't find--"

"What?--taking her with--Rip's gonna want to see--"

"--very unhappy--"

"He'll live."

Elizabeth can't feel anything except the pounding of her skull, but through her ringing ears she can just make out two voices arguing. One is a man, the other sounds tinny--a robot? A robot. Definitely a robot. The robot sounds unsure of itself, or as unsure as a robot can sound. The man sounds resolute. **  
**

She just wants to die. Die and go back to Paris. Or to simply wash her hands of living. She doesn't really give a crap either way. But this waiting for death thing? It's painful, and not in the proverbial way. The physical way. Elizabeth is pretty sure that if she had anything, any energy at all, left in her, she'd be vomiting. Or dry heaving, seeing as she hasn't eaten in days. Her limbs ache from the blood loss and her back aches from keeping one position for so long. Then there is the ever present pounding in her head. 

Boom.

Boom.

Boom.

Boom.

Damn, if she'd known dying would be so slow she may have put up more of a fight. 

Suddenly, Elizabeth feels a shift. The movement, coupled with the vertigo, prove too much and she blacks out.

* * *

 

"Can you open your eyes, Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth doesn't even know she was conscious until she finds herself responding to the question. She doesn't open her eyes, but the proverbial wheels in her head slowly start turning again and she puts together enough of a string of thought that she's able to grunt in response and flutter her eyes a little. 

"It's okay. Don't push. That was a nasty concussion you had."

There's a man. She doesn't know him. Something about his voice reminds her of Booker--her Booker--kind and angry and gruff all at once. But Comstock sounded like that too. And besides, this man isn't either, he's new. Elizabeth can practically feel the adrenaline pump through her. 

There's the sound of rapid beeping from what sounds like a heart monitor and the man leans closer and puts a hand on one of Elizabeth's shoulders.

"Elizabeth? Elizabeth, calm down. You're very hurt and you need to res--ARRRRGH!"

Before the new man can finish, Elizabeth desperately grabs a tray and slams it on top of his head. Hard.

You draw first or you don't get to draw at all.

(thanks, Booker)

 

She's pretty sure it's a tray she hits him with. It feels like a tray, at least. She doesn't really stop to look, just jumps off the bed and bolts. She's pretty sure she ripped a bunch of IV needles out but she's absolutely certain she's had worse. It isn't until she collides with a wall that she even stops long enough to force her eyes open. The light burns her eyes and hurts her head but that's no reason to stop. Get out.  **Get out**.

Tears are running down her cheeks (and not all of them are from the pain) but she doesn't even hesitate. Her vision is clear enough for her to make out a doorway leading into a hall.

Go, Elizabeth. Go  **NOW!**

And she does. She runs. Left turn. Right turn. Left again. Straight down.

Just how big is this place anyways?!

(stop.)

(you have to stop.)

First thing's first, she's got to figure out where she's going. 

Elizabeth ducks into the next room she comes across and breathes deep. She can feel sobs building up and her fear mounting, but she can't give in yet. She'll cry when she's out of here, wherever here even is. Her eyes still burn and there are tears clouding her vision so she rubs at her eyes until the burning is at least manageable. Blinking a few times clears her vision up and Elizabeth takes a good look at the room. 

There's a pretty big window. No bars on it. Sunlight streaming through, so not in Rapture anymore then. And they're on the first floor. Looks like she's in luck. But a compound as large as this would have a security system right? No way it's this easy. It'd be a waste of time to escape just to be caught again. Okay, she's got to find somewhere to access the security. That's step one.

(do that first, and go from there.)

In the few seconds it took her to think that up, Elizabeth completely misses the lump of covers on the bed.

That is, until she hears a whimper.

Elizabeth freezes. 

"Who's that?"

She doesn't get a response.

"Who is there? I'm serious, come out and I won't hurt you. I just want to leave. Okay? Just...let me leave." The last part comes out more of a soft plea than anything else. At this point, Elizabeth doesn't even care. She'll beg if she has to. She just wants to go...

Go where?

She has nowhere to go to. Columbia burned to the ground. Rapture's not an option. She could go to...

(you can go to Paris. you can go to New York. you can go anywhere but that's not going to happen if you stay right here, you dolt!)

A little orange head pops up out of the covers as Elizabeth nears the bed.

"Y-you're in my room."

It's... a little girl. No older than Sally. 

(oh god, Sally.)

(no, stop it. not the time.)

"Hey. I'm-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come in. I'm a little lost and I want to leave, okay? Don't be scared," Elizabeth crouches down to eye level, "I won't do anything. I **just** need to know the way out."

The girl doesn't say a word, just eyes Elizabeth cautiously.

(smart girl)

"Okay," Elizabeth says, backing up from the bed, "It's okay. You don't have to talk. Can you just point to the direction of the exit?"

Nothing.

"Alright. That's okay too. I'm just going to leave, okay? I'm just going to go. You go ahead and sleep and I'll go."

Elizabeth turns around to hurry out the room... only to bump into a...

A small, golden airship?

<<Sir! Sir! I've found her! Over here!>>

(dammit)

Wait. That voice. She recognizes the voice as the tinny machine that was arguing with the man.

Elizabeth slams a lamp into the side of the talking plane-thing anyways, knocking it into a wall on her left. She distantly hears the little girl behind her scream, but she's already running by the time the robot hits the wall.

Her vision is still blurred, and the sudden burst of activity didn't help, but it's clear enough that she can see a man blocking the hallway up ahead. 

(nothing to it then)

She rams right into the man, as hard as she can.

Mystery man doesn't even flinch. Elizabeth, on the other hand, is flung a full two feet and hits the floor. She manages to roll with the fall, but still. 

"Oh shit!" mystery man says, rushing over and kneeling down to take a look at the damage, "Shit, shit, shit. Are you okay? Can you stand?"

Disoriented and a bit embarrassed, Elizabeth lets out an annoyed huff. "I'm fine. Let go of me! Don't touch me!"

The man reels back, as if burned. 

"Well," he says, "That's a fine way to thank your rescuer!"

"My-my what? Rescuer?" Elizabeth shoves him back even further, "Don't play your games! Whatever you want from me, I don't have it. I don't have anything! And if I did? I wouldn't give it to you! Just let me go!"

"We're not keeping you prisoner, we were trying to help!"

"Help?" Elizabeth asks, suddenly unsure, "Why?"

"Why? Do I need a reason to rescue a girl from bleeding out on the bottom of the ocean?"

Suddenly, the pieces click.

"You were the man in Rapture, the one I heard! You're the one who picked me up. You brought me here!"

Elizabeth sits up. Her stomach doesn't thank her, but she doesn't very much care.

"How did you get to Rapture? How did you get out? Actually, never mind that: there should've been a little blonde girl there.Did you see her? What happened to her? Did Atlas take her?"

(please please please)

"Woah, woah. I got to Rapture an...unconventional way and I got out the same way. But there was no blonde girl, only you."

The man pauses for a second and shakes his head.

"Well, actually... I didn't get a good look at  _who_ it was but I'm almost certain someone scrambled into a vent just before I got to you. I mean, the vents are pretty small so it was definitely a kid. Might've been your girl?"

Elizabeth lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Sally got out. At least, there's a chance she did.  _There's a chance_.

"Thank you," she sighs, "Really. Thank you."

"Look, are you gonna let me get you back to medical? You were injured and in a coma for weeks. I didn't even know you could survive this much activity."

Elizabeth isn't sure if she believes him. She is injured, but is he really taking her to medical? But Sally has a chance now and she got away and Elizabeth can't really find it in her to care anymore. Whoever this man is, he's no Zachary Comstock. Wherever this place is, its no Comstock House. And she's too tired to care past that.

"Alrighty then, hold tight. If you're awake by the end of Rip's examination then I think its time we both got some answers."

Elizabeth grabs onto mystery man's shoulders as he hoists her up. She doesn't know why, but she could swear she's seen him before. Just where...

"Woah! What's wrong?" mystery man exclaims in shock.

"Wrong?" she asks him.

"Your nose," he says, "you're bleeding."

Elizabeth brings a finger up to touch her upper lip, and sure enough there's blood when she brings it back. 

(really? more doors?)

(another mystery for another time then)

"Don't worry about it," she tells him, "It just happens sometimes."

"What's your name? What may I call you?" she asks him as he starts to walk.

"Booster Gold," he says with a smile that looks comical and makes him look years younger, "but that's just a silly alias. My name's Michael Carter. You can call me Mike if you want."

"Mr. Carter then," she says, missing the way Michael flinches at the name, "I'm Elizabeth. Elizabeth.... Just...just Elizabeth."

Anna DeWitt is dead and Elizabeth Comstock has her revenge. Back to plain old Elizabeth. 

"Tell you what," Carter says, "I won't even ask about it if you agree to meet me halfway and call me Booster."

"...fair enough."

* * *

 

Elizabeth stays awake through the examination with pure willpower. Rip, who she apologizes to for the tray and the hitting, tells her about time travel and fixed time and anomalies while he checks her over. He tells her how she is an anomaly within herself. About how he knows about her, her Tears, her omnipotence. He does not share how or where he got this intel.

Booster tells her about his job as a "protector of time". He talks about his mission, going back in time to Rapture to make sure everything was ready for the arrival of the Ace, only to find his work already finished and a girl bleeding out on the floor. 

Elizabeth, in turn, tells them about Columbia, about Comstock, about following a version of him to Rapture, about saving Sally after Comstock's unfortunate death. But she doesn't talk about Booker (aside from mentioning he saved her). Or drowning him. Or killing Daisy. Or that it was purely revenge that brought her to Rapture. Or leaving Sally. Or what she had to do to save the girl. She doesn't mention a lot of things. The story is notably shorter than it has any right to be and some truths are bent in the process, but there are some stories that just aren't meant to be told.

It makes her feel a bit guilty though, not holding up her end of the bargain. Rip is definitely hiding things, but Booster...

She gets the feeling he's actually been completely honest with her all the way through.

It's...refreshing.

* * *

"Do you got someone we ought to call, Elizabeth?"

"What?"

"Call. You know, about your condition. You really have been out for weeks. Next of kin? Friends?"

"Booster, which part of my story made you feel I have next of kin or friends?"

"I mean, I don't know. You were really vague at some points."

"Well then, no. There's no one to call. Not anymore."

"I'm sorry. I know how that feels."


	2. finally, paris

There hasn't been much Elizabeth's felt up to doing this past week. Booster's been trying, but the trauma of what happened has finally taken hold and Elizabeth spends a week and a half locked up in her room, blocking everyone and everything out. 

There is, however, one offer she can't turn down.

"Elizabeth? Sweetie?" Booster calls for her at her door, "Michelle and Rani want to check out Paris, grab some pastries. Do you-do you want us to pick you up something?"

And it's childish and dumb and she should have let it go a long time ago, but you spend your entire childhood and teenage years dreaming about something... it doesn't just go away.

Elizabeth opens the door.

"Can you wait for 20 minutes? I-I want to go too."

Booster smiles like that's the best thing he's heard all year.

"Yeah sure! Take your time, we'll be right in the living room."

The eagerness to have her along takes Elizabeth's breath away and she thinks that maybe she'll crawl out of her room more often from now on.

* * *

 

"Elizabeth! Elizabeth! Come see the Eiffel Tower! Look see? Isn't it pretty?"

Elizabeth smiles at the little girl bouncing around her feet, "Yes, Rani. It's _beautiful_."

Elizabeth keeps looking up and down and she's pretty sure she spun around a few times walking down the street. Paris! She really made it to Paris. Not some fake paradise she concocted in her head to hide from her guilt. Actual, real Paris. Tourists swarm around her, jostling her everywhich way, and the city smells like a city that thousands and thousands of people flock to daily. It's summer so the humidity and sweat make the air heavy, especially here--the Eiffel Tower. But it doesn't have to be perfect, it's  _real._

This is real. 

She's really made it. 

( _twenty-three years of dreaming and I'm actually here_ )

"Let me guess," Booster says, smiling at her expression, "Never been to Paris before?"

"No," Elizabeth almost laughs while saying, "I mean, yes, but not this one."

It doesn't make any sense at all, she realizes, but Booster doesn't ask. He's good like that. Although, if he did ask, Elizabeth thinks she'd tell him. Maybe it's got something to do with the fact that he dragged her out of Rapture or it could be because she has no one else in the world and nowhere else to turn, but she trusts Booster. Not in the traditional, catch-me-if-I-fall sense, but at the very least she finds it hard to lie to him. Besides, what reason has she got to lie? So he doesn't use it against her later? So it doesn't come back to bite her in the ass? What's she got to lose? If Rip and Booster turn her out, she's got no later. Why not be honest?

But he doesn't ask and she' grateful.

"Wanna go to the top?" Booster asks everyone, but keeping eye contact with Elizabeth.

"Can we?"

"I'll go pick up some tickets for the lift. You ladies go ahead and get some candy."

"Candy!" Rani yells, grabbing the money Booster offers her.

Michelle rolls her eyes, "You're putting her in bed later, big brother. No excuses."

"Great," Booster groans, "That's what I get for being nice."

Elizabeth giggles. Michelle goes to chase after Rani. 

"Go on, Liz. I'll pick up the tickets."

(  _liz?_ )

"Liz?"

"Sorry."

"No it's fine. I don't mind." She really doesn't. She's never had anyone giver her a nickname before. 'The Lamb' doesn't count.

"Booster-erm-Micheal?" she says, remembering halfway that she's not supposed to call him Booster in public.

He doesn't seem to mind though. Booster doesn't seem to mind a lot of things.

"Hm? Yeah?"

"I was just--can we go up with the stairs? Just to the halfway point."

Booster clearly wasn't expecting that request. 

"The-the stairs? I mean, yeah... we can. I'll have to send Rani up with Michelle but we can go up that way, I guess."

Right, Rani.

"Forget I asked," Elizabeth tells him, waving her hand dismissively, "Dumb idea with a little girl in the group."

Booster shakes his head and says, "Nah, it's really fine. Rani and Michelle will go up and enjoy the view for a bit. With any luck, Rani'll burn off some of that extra sugar-energy. We'll take the scenic route."

"No, it's fine. We don't have to split up. I mean, I can head up myself."

Booster is clearly having none of it.

"Liz, it's a long climb, it'll be kind of boring alone dontcha think? Michelle and Rani will understand. Just let me grab the tickets and I'll meet you at the stair entrance."

Suddenly, Elizabeth feels a little stupid. She's splitting them up. This is as much Booster's vacation as it is hers. More so probably, Rip and Booster have been telling her only what she needs to know for now but she's got eyes. Booster has a job and it's clearly dangerous, if the multiple injuries he occasionally shows up with is any indication. He doesn't need to go stair climbing for her.

When asked later, Elizabeth will insist that she has no clue what she was thinking, but standing here, feeling really dumb and a little guilty, Elizabeth does the first thing she can think of. 

She bolts for the staircase and goes up as fast as she can. There's practically no line so she doesn't really have to shove through anyone. Taking the stairs two at a time, Elizabeth makes it a good distance... before completely exhausting herself. 

She stops to take a quick breather and then keeps plodding up the stairs, albeit at a much slower pace. She doesn't stop though, even if her legs are screaming at this point. It really is a steep climb.

Suddenly, she notices the sound of someone running. 

_Clack, clunk, clack, clunk_

Elizabeth almost panics before remembering that there's no one after her anymore, not here. Probably just another tourist. 

<Sir, she's up here!> a metallic voice yells, causing Elizabeth to jump and stop walking.

A second later, Skeets floats into her line of vision.

<Sir, you had us very worried.>

(  _scolded by a machine, that's new even for me_ )

"Sorry, Skeets," she says and starts climbing again, "Go on and tell them I'll meet them up top."

<I'm afraid it's much too late for that.>

"Liz!"

"Booster?"

Elizabeth looks over the side to see a sweaty, panting Booster about two flights down. He must have really sprinted, to be able to catch up so quickly.

"Liz, stay right there!"

Elizabeth, of course, does not stay right there. She goes down and meets Booster halfway. He's out of breath and gasping for air, but he still manages a good natured smirk.

"Wow, Liz. You-you really wanted to get up there huh?"

"Boos-Michael..."

Booster waves her off.

"Gimme a minute. Damn girl, you can run. Just a second then we can-can go the rest of the way."

Elizabeth bites her lip. She feel guilty, but at the same time... no one's ran after her since Booker.

* * *

 

"My father once promised to bring me here," Elizabeth tells him while standing on the very top of the Eiffel Tower, looking over all Paris. 

"Stuff got in the way and we never got to go," she continues, "Then he died. In a way. It should have put me off coming here, I guess, but I still wanted to. I mean, I dreamed about it all my life. Paris--music, art, romance, cute French people. It was sort of like a perfect daydream, a world better than the one I lived in."

"And?" Booster asks, "Is it living up to expectations?"

"Yes," Elizabeth admits, "And the company's not bad either."

Booster snorts.

"I mean it, Michael," she says, "You're not bad."

"But I'm not your father," he says, suddenly serious.

She doesn't know how to respond, so she just doesn't.

Finally, Booster caves and says, "My father never promised me Paris or anything like that. But he told me he'd buy our family a house once. Said he'd get us a big one with a working fireplace--which was rare in the future--and that we'd be able to fit a huge tree in the living room for Christmas. He said we'd sit by the fire at Christmastime and wait for Santa together."

Booster snorts cynically.

"Man was dead drunk of course. The next day, he took every last penny in the house by force and gambled it all away."

Elizabeth doesn't know how to respond to that either. 

"Do you know what the first thing I did was? When I came to this century?"

"What?"

"Bought a flat. The color was weird and it smelled like something died, but it had the biggest fireplace I've ever seen. It was ornate and black and humongous and I just  _had_ to have it. I lit it up and sat in front of it like an idiot for a whole night."

Elizabeth has no clue why that makes her smile, but it does.

"Do you miss him?" Booster asks gently.

"He was my father," she replies.

"Yeah, but do you miss him?"

(  _yes_ )

"Yes. All the time. Do you miss yours?"

" **No** ," Booster says, and for the first time Elizabeth hears steel and anger in his voice, "I miss a lot about home, but not him."

(  _quite the pair we make_ )


End file.
